New Blood: Saeki
by JFalcon
Summary: Emperor Orochimaru controls the five Great Nations. Practicing ninja arts is outlawed, surviving ninja are hunted by the new Sound Five. Taiki thought he was a normal little boy until he overhears his parents talk with an outlaw. A "New Blood" story.
1. History

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters, places, or events from Naruto. I don't get paid for this at all so please don't sue me, I'm fairly poor.

**Fore note: **This is a sort of sequel to New Blood, it takes place just before the fifth arc, the first arc of the sequel. One doesn't need to read New Blood to read this because almost everything is from Tai's perspective, Tai doesn't know whom anyone is (he knows Sasuke by reputation) and he explains the setting. Those who have read New Blood and plan to read the full sequel don't necessarily have to read this to understand what's going on there, all in all this should be able to stand alone but also sets up the first chapters of Old Souls.

This was written as a one-shot but ended up being ridiculously long. Thus I've split it into chapters, but posted it all at once anyway. The chapters may or may not end at less than perfect moments, but in any event this should make it easier to take breaks while reading, after all not everyone can sit through twenty pages with the real Naruto cast not showing up until the ending. For those who have not and do not plan to read New Blood I guess I might explain why the Naruto cast does not show up until the end . . . Orochimaru came back to life, won a Great War that took place during New Blood, and now the Naruto characters are in hiding until they can strike back . . . yeah. Check my profile for a link to our message board.

* * *

**Part One**

**History**

She didn't make a single sound as she leapt from roof to roof. At one point she landed centimeters from a nest, and was so swift and silent that she didn't disturb the birds.

She came to a small dwelling, the lights were on, the inhabitants were home.

She stealthily moved over the roof, the neighbors were all asleep or had at least doused their lights, only the street lamps and the dim glow from within the house lit the moonless night.

She tilted her head to the side and looked _through _the solid roof, her eyes showing her the inhabitants within. Their location, their number.

The owner of the home was a historian, a recorder, and he had some sort of strange and utterly incorrect idea that history should be recorded as it happened, rather than how the Shogun proclaimed it.

The man was wrong and he had been given warnings, still he refused to change his writings, insisted on recording the ending of the war as he had experienced it, rather than as the Shogun had commanded it be remembered.

All of his neighbors knew what would happen to him. They had doused their lights early as a sign that they would not be witnesses, they would not say a word, condemning him and his family for fear of what might happen to them if they didn't.

Her target as well must have known what his rebellion of the written word would cost him, but he was firm in his decision . . . she supposed it was brave.

Brave . . . but foolish.

She smiled, taking a head count. Husband, wife, three children.

The children were asleep, their mother was with them, watching over them.

But the father stood alone in a separate room.

There was no one else anywhere near, she could be in and out in mere moments.

She sprang from the rooftop and leapt in through a window, landing soundlessly.

She rolled to her feet, hands empty but lethal on their own.

The historian turned to look at her.

"We thought it would be tonight . . ." He said calmly, the woman smirked and tilted her head to the side, "what took you?" Her target asked, and she just gave an exaggerated shrug.

She cracked her knuckles, it was the first noise she'd made since beginning the mission. The historian turned to her and said "Your orders are to take me?" he reasoned.

She smiled and shook her head, the color drained from his face just a bit, "To kill me then . . ." he sighed but the young woman let her eyes very noticeably dart towards the room where the man's children slept and where his wife watched over them.

Now all the color drained from the man's face, he said "Please . . . not them. I know _I_ must die but . . . this never concerned them."

"Yes it did . . . it was always about them," The woman said, finally speaking, "don't try to lie to me, what is the recording of history for if not the next generation? You defied the Shogun for the sake of your children and their children."

The man hung his head, tears rolled down his cheeks, "Kill me first." He whispered.

"Kill _you_? But if _you_ die tonight, how will you learn from your mistakes?" The young woman sneered, and she stretched forth her hand, flames forming in her palm.

The man rushed forward "No!" He screamed, "No, I beg you, I'll do anything!"

She diverted her hand and set flame to a chair, "Burn your writing, burn it all this very moment. Every scrap of it, destroy the history you recorded, forsake everything you claim to believe in . . . and your children will be spared."

To the man's credit, or perhaps against it, he didn't move right away, he hesitated, and that made the kunoichi's entertainment all the greater.

Finally he did move, he gathered together scrolls, writings, notes and moved towards the fire.

He hesitated again, his wife burst from behind the door to the children's room, "No, don't!" She cried, "let her kill us, you carry on, don't let the sacrifices the Konoha ninja made die with them, make sure that future generations know that the Nine Tails and the Village hidden in Leaves stood up against this evil!"

The young woman smiled sinisterly, "Burn the writing, I'll destroy it either way, you might as well save yourself and your family . . . all it costs is your beliefs."

The man glared at her, then threw his scrolls in the fire.

"I will record the history the Shogun commands." He said calmly, "Spare my family."

The young woman smiled sinisterly, "My orders are very clear . . . you have pleased the Shogun, therefore . . ." She reached into her sleeve as if she meant to draw forth a scroll of pardon, instead she drew a knife and threw it. It sank into the man's throat and he fell to the ground grasping at his neck, "therefore I grant your request to die _before _your mate and whelps."

The man's wife looked horrified, "Why? You told him if he burned the--"

"I just wanted to toy with him, see if he'd do it." The kunoichi smiled. "Now, we can do this the easy way . . . or the entertaining way. Care to see how far you and the little ones get?"

The woman's lip trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks, "I'll curse you with my dying--" suddenly the woman was unable to finish her sentence.

"Easy way it is." The young ninja sighed, wiping the kunai she'd used to slice the housewife's neck on the dying woman's sleeve, "Maybe the kids will be more fun."

The woman, trying to breathe through a gash in her neck grasped the younger woman's ankle with surprising strength and tried to stop her. The kunoichi smiled, "Fine, fine," she said, "you win old girl . . . I won't set foot in that room." Her hand moved to her side, selecting a capsule of her own blood she smashed it against a tattoo on her left palm and a great purple, furry spider the size of a young horse appeared in the room.

"Go kiss the children goodnight." The ninja ordered her minion.

The spider clicked its mandibles and sped off through the still open door. No sounds escaped from the children's room, but the kunoichi knew what was happening in there.

She smiled at the children's mother, the wife of her real target, the woman was dead, but a look of horror and helplessness was chiseled onto her face, the last expression she'd ever make.

The younger woman tore her leg free and stood in the doorway of the children's room, honoring her promise not to actually enter for no reason other than her own amusement. She called her minion back, it gave her a look then disappeared.

She smiled and removed a scroll from her equipment pouch, a list of the laws and dictations of the Emperor and the Shogun.

She stuck it to the front door with a bloody kunai, then calmly left the premises, walking leisurely through the front door, stopping to admire her own handiwork.

Aside from the kunai in the door one would never know anything was wrong even the flames from her fire Jutsu had dispersed themselves at her will, rather than burning down the entire house.

She put her hands in her pockets and returned to her master.

* * *

Ito Taiki was like any other seven year old boy, or at least he thought so.

His father was a general, his mother was the daughter of one of the most powerful merchant families in the Empire, but that was them. Tai himself was normal.

He enjoyed the festivals, sports and games, he didn't like girls very much. That isn't to say he hated them, he just didn't like them, they were kind of dumb and irritating, always giggling over every little thing.

He went to the worship ceremonies every Wednesday, he didn't really like them, but he went. He burned incense and offerings at the Serpent shrines, even though they scared him.

And like any other little boy he hated the ninja.

But as normal as Tai himself was, his parents weren't. His father was Ito Yoshi, a general of the armies Mizu, his mother was Ito Ichiteru, first born daughter of the Ishida clan of merchants which had its shops and representatives in every land.

And since his father, Yoshi, was a samurai, Tai was a samurai. He would someday become a soldier of the Water Country.

Despite all this he was a normal boy, he didn't choose to have famous parents or to be rich, he didn't choose to have everyone worship the ground he walked on, really he didn't.

Whenever he expressed this his mother would always smile and say that he reminded her of someone she used to know, but what help was that to _him_?

His father would always just say "We cannot escape our destiny."

That was even less helpful.

He practiced with a wooden sword when his father made him, but he wasn't really all that good at it, and since he wasn't good at it he didn't like it.

It wasn't even necessary, the war was over, the ninja had been wiped out or driven to hiding, the Lands of Fire were now the Lands of Sound, the Serpent God had been reborn as Emperor of all five great nations and peace reigned.

It was so peaceful that wealthy families like his could even holiday in other countries, something that would have been impossible in Tai's youth because of the war that was being fought. He and his family were vacationing in the Land of Waves, a beautiful place really, he liked the look of it.

But none of his friends were there, and none of the kids around wanted to be his friend, for the most part they kept their distance, bowed, and stuff like that.

So he was lonely.

His closest relative was his aunt Eri, she lived in Otogakure, but she didn't have any kids he could play with and he hadn't seen her for a year.

She'd been kind of weird, but she taught him to climb trees and he'd liked that.

His mother hadn't, and she liked it even less the more of Tai's clothes got ripped and torn as he climbed trees, so he'd had to lay off the climbing whenever his mom was around, but being a kid he was always happy to show off in front of his friends.

Not that there were any friends here to show off in front of, of course.

But sometimes you just had to show off for yourself, and with hours to wait before supper Tai spotted a really nice tree and, having nothing better to do he'd started to climb it.

Climbing it was easy, the branches were close to each other and sturdy, in no time he was at the top, he took a look around, surveying the scenery.

The City of Waves had prospered greatly it covered an entire island and a great deal of the coast nearby, connected by a long bridge the two halves were called the old city, where the wealthy merchant and samurai families lived and where Tai was currently, and of course the city on the coast was the new city, where everyone else lived, where most of the work was done.

From this tree top he could just make out the bridge and the ocean, but the new city was too far away to be seen.

Still, he could just imagine it, a bustling town full of the lower castes. He hadn't seen it when the ship that carried him and his parents in from the major island of The Lands of Water. They'd arrived by the private port of the wealthy, so that the lower lesser peoples couldn't bother them and so they wouldn't inspire envy.

Tai didn't like it. He was curious about the lower castes, after all if he were supposed to be a Samurai someday, a warrior who might have to die for the people he wanted to know who or what he could be dying for, whether or not it was worth it.

Maybe it was because he was just a kid, but he didn't want to die at all, let alone for someone he didn't know, he didn't even want to fight for someone he didn't know, let them fight for themselves. He didn't understand why anyone should ever fight for someone else, unless they were friends. Tai always helped his friends when they got into fights.

He sighed and stared out at the distant mainland.

It was so much _bigger _than his home, the island that hosted the capital city of Kirigakure, no longer a ninja village, the former Ninja Academy was now a Samurai school which Tai would be attending starting next year.

By then he'd have to understand why he was going to devote his entire life to the art of war.

Not that there were any wars now that the Emperor and the Shogun had put peace to the world.

Tai sighed. He wasn't a prince longing to be a pauper, he didn't want to _live _in the lower castes' part of the city, but he wanted to see it, see what it was like . . . and see if he was as normal as he thought.

Did poor boys play the same games or talk about the same things? Did they read the same scrolls, study the same histories he studied?

His father had gone to the poorer districts the other day with a few soldiers because of some security issue, apparently a Shinobi had been spotted and a family had been murdered, and even on holiday a Samurai Taisho was a servant of his Daimyo, so in the interest of serving the Daimyo, Tai's father had investigated the attack.

Tai had wanted to go along, but he was told it wouldn't be appropriate, "There could be danger, besides, you don't want to see a murder scene do you?" His father had said, and he was right, but Tai did want to see the city.

He sighed, he was about to climb down since seeing the city forbidden to him was starting to depress him, and since mother would expect him back soon, but as he climbed down he heard something.

"Careful of your step," A robed man at the bottom of the tree said, "you are Ito Taiki, yes?"

Tai blinked, this man wore a gray robe. It had a hood, but the man didn't have that on.

He hadn't shaved in some time but he didn't have a well organized beard like Tai's father, just thin stubble so he probably shaved usually but hadn't managed to get around to it lately. His short hair was black, but since he was so far down the tree his eyes were too far away for Tai to really make out their color, but they didn't seem hostile or dangerous.

So Tai answered the man's question, "Yes I am," Tai said, though he wasn't about to go any further down the tree until he knew for sure that that wouldn't be a bad idea, after all only stupid kids approached strangers.

The man tilted his head to the side and smirked, "I'm an associate of your father's, has he returned from the city yet, or should I wait for him?"

"I dunno." Tai admitted.

The man nodded, "Right then. You want me to escort you home, or would that make you feel too uncomfortable?"

Tai scoffed, "I'm not scared of you!" He shouted.

"And you've no need to be." The man said, still smirking, "I couldn't hurt a fly, believe me, I've tried. They're crazy hard to catch you know."

Tai smiled slightly, but he didn't feel fully at ease.

Some strange man in robes had appeared out of nowhere and started trying to act all friendly and nice, claiming to know Tai's father but then everyone knew _of _Tai's father so it wouldn't be impossible for this person to be a liar out to kidnap him or something then ransom him back to his parents, after all his grandfather had more wealth than any other merchant.

Not as much as a Daimyo of course, that would be illegal.

Tai didn't move from the tree, the man shrugged and said "I'll just go wait for your father then, and no worries, I won't tell your mother you were climbing trees. Have a good day."

And with that he simply left. Tai watched him go and when he was certain he was gone he climbed down.

He ran home--or to their vacation home anyway--as fast as his legs could carry him, arriving just in time to see his father climbing down from his horse.

"Father!" Tai said, bowing low, "How was the city?"

"Let's not talk about that," Ito Yoshi grunted, stroking his beard thoughtfully. He eyed his son and smiled, "Climbing? Your mother won't like that."

Tai smiled disarmingly, was it that obvious he'd been climbing? He had been very careful not to rip his clothes . . . when they reached the door Tai realized how his father knew, because when Tai's father removed his shoes before entering Tai found that he'd never put his back on, in his rush to get home he must have forgotten them.

Slightly panicked he was about to turn and go back for them but his father slapped his shoulder and said "I'll order one of the servants to find them, it's going to be dark soon, we should be inside."

"Was there really a ninja, father?" Tai asked, wondering if maybe that was why his father didn't want him out after dark, but his father just shook his head.

"Don't concern yourself with that sort of thing, my son. It'll be years before you need to worry about things like ninja."

Not true, but Tai didn't realize that at the time.

**To Be Continued . . .**


	2. Truth

**Part Two**

**Truth**

As they entered the house Tai saw mother talking with the stranger from before, upon seeing them she smiled and bowed, the stranger, who had been sitting with his back to the door, stood up and faced father, then bowed very low, almost as if he were a servant, and given his rugged appearance Tai guessed he might be.

Father smiled an unsure smile and stroked his beard, "Doctor, this is a surprise."

"To be sure, Taisho. Business brought me to this place and when I heard you were nearby investigating a case of possible ninja antics I felt obligated to come see you."

"Is that a fact . . ." Father said. He nodded to his wife, "Taiki, make sure your room is clean before dinner."

Tai knew his room was clean because there wasn't really anything in it for him to use to mess the place up, his wooden katana was back at their true home, as were his toy soldiers and most of his reading material.

His father really just wanted him to go to his room and stay there until summoned, Tai complied with the first portion of the request, rushing off to his room.

But he didn't comply with the second half, he waited quietly and then very quietly snuck out into the hallway near where the adults were talking.

The door from the hall to the sitting room had been closed, Tai listened very carefully and could hear their conversation without getting to close to the doorway.

"We had nothing to do with it." The doctor said.

"I didn't expect you did, but what do you want?" Tai's father asked.

"Do you have any news from--" Mother began but she fell silent, father had probably held a hand up to quiet her.

The doctor answered her question anyway, "No word, not for lack of me trying, and I would have told you straight away if I had a message. On the other hand this recent murder . . ."

"The murder was an internal matter, a messenger from the Daimyo of the Land of Waves informed me that the matter was resolved, the man was a fugitive." Father said.

"Done in by one of the Five?" The doctor asked.

"It could have been anyone." Father grunted, "Could have been one of your friends--yes, yes I know you say you had nothing to do with it."

"To be honest my "friends", as you call them feel quite strongly that a member of the five was involved this could be a prime time to . . ." the doctor trailed off.

"I'm sure we don't know what you're talking about. You certainly seem to have unusual friends, doctor . . . perhaps you're ready to tell me more about them." Father said.

The doctor laughed, "I see, you'd rather know as little as possible." But wait, father had just asked to know more, hadn't he? "Well to be honest Taisho I do have a bit of a favor to ask."

"You saved the lives of some of my best men during the war, I can grant a small favor." Father said simply.

"A bit of a major favor then." The doctor said.

"And what's that?" Father asked.

"Well you see normally it wouldn't matter, but seeing as there might be a member of the Five running around killing people, given the rather large price on his head, my master was wondering if perhaps your ship might have room for . . . about twelve more."

"What?" Father roared, "Are you mad? Endanger my family? Do you realize--that ninja, one of the Five or not, slaughtered an entire family for simply going against Imperial decree and writing that Konoha fought for four days? You ask me to harbor twelve fugitives?"

Tai raised an eyebrow. Konohagakure, the village hidden in leaves, and the last bastion of major resistance to the Imperial army . . . history said that it had been wiped out in a single day by the might of the Emperor, though some people claimed that it had kept fighting for days Tai never believed it.

Ninja weren't warriors, they were thieves, and anyone who fought alongside a ninja was a thief too, not a warrior, not a Samurai.

And fugitives . . . this doctor was a fugitive? Was he a ninja then? No, no way. Tai had met some ninja who'd been granted a pardon by the Daimyo and had become farmers of the Land of Water, they always had sharp, pointy teeth like sharks, and though Tai hadn't seen the doctor's teeth very clearly he would have noticed that even with just a glance.

Well . . . aunt Eri said her fiancé used to be a ninja, but Tai knew that was just a joke, there was no way that goofy blacksmith had ever been a ninja, and even if he had aunt Eri would have to be pretty brazen to make jokes about it.

"Actually," the doctor said, "Just ten fugitives, plus myself and an infant . . . the child hasn't committed any serious crimes . . . yet."

Father was silent for a moment, then he said "Look, when you say favor I assume a bed for the night, a hot meal, that sort of thing."

"I'd like that too, the meal I mean, I have a place o my own to sleep, but the transport's more important so if I could have just one or the other I'd definitely like--" the doctor interjected but father cut him off.

"You think I'm crazy enough to let ten wanted criminals on my ship?" Father demanded.

"No sir, not crazy . . . just kind, and understanding." The doctor said.

"Don't you mock me," Father warned but mother spoke up, interrupting him which was something she very rarely did.

"If we get you to the island, most of them are going to the village, yes?"

"I believe they're finally _all _going."

What village?

"Will you . . . deliver some messages?"

There was silence, then father said "Darling," which he very rarely called her because he didn't like to be mushy, "you can't be serious, written proof of contact with criminals?"

"They're my brother and sister, everyone's worried about them but I actually have a chance now to contact them. If they turned themselves in--"

"They'll never turn themselves in, they're convinced that they're right." Father said. "Given Emiko's ability I'm not so convinced they're not."

"Think of everything the Empire has brought us," the doctor said and despite himself Tai did so.

The Empire had brought safety, there would be no more wars. Strong armies were everywhere, no man went without work because the armies were always eager to take in new members, even if they didn't realize at the time how great it would be to serve in the military, father said everyone "figured it out in the end" and Tai knew that while women had lost a lot of rights, before they used to be equal to men, now thanks to the empire the genders were no longer equal, women couldn't wear clothing that was too revealing and couldn't have certain jobs, which wasn't to say that they couldn't have _any _jobs.

Women couldn't be soldiers and though they could wed Samurai, technically becoming Samurai themselves they could not hold swords or wear armor, mother was allowed to present father's sword to him by holding only the sheathe.

This meant that women, who were of course much weaker and dumber than men, couldn't be killed in wars, so Tai figured this was a good thing.

There were the Serpent Shrines, where people had to--that is _got _to pray to one of the five snake spirits for protection and guidance, that hadn't existed before the empire and as a result there'd been all kinds of wars.

But when the doctor continued speaking he said "Oppression, encouraged bigotry, segregation, secret police controlling every aspect of public life, armies ready to sweep any rebellious village off the map, I've seen first hand what happens to those whom this emperor doesn't favor. There was a farming town in Waterfall, they couldn't pay some sort of tax and the army came through, burned their homes and then after they took what they could from the crops they poisoned the ground. Now nothing will grow."

"And why didn't your friends stop them?" Father asked disbelievingly.

"At the time there were just five of them, five of them against a hundred soldiers and who knows how many ninja secreted into the ranks? Even if they won they couldn't dig in and protect the farmers, and a much more powerful retaliation would have come down." The doctor said, "but believe me, they wanted to act."

"But they didn't, too busy looking out for themselves." Father reasoned.

"Oh honestly Yoshi, what would you have done? They're wanted criminals, anytime anyone's even suspected of being a Shinobi they end up mutilated, you think they wanted to bring one or more of the Five down on that village?"

Tai frowned, what were the Five?

Father spoke very quietly, "All the more reason we can't be associated with them. If the worst should happen will these criminals stand by us? Will they protect us until we're back home? No, of course not. They'll secret themselves and let us die."

Mother sighed, "We should be pushing the Daimyo to make an alliance, he has his own ninja force, he could quadruple its size overnight and begin plans for--"

"Don't talk like that." Father interrupted, "You don't want another war, not against the unified world."

"Are you so sure?" The doctor asked. "War is coming, Taisho. Heck, the real war never ended. Konoha fell, the leaf ninja lost the battle, but thanks to your brothers-in-law and others they haven't lost the war. I haven't seen the village, but I know they're building up their force, training and preparing, and when the time comes they'll hit that cursed continent like a whirlwind, a holy firestorm to purge the evils of this corrupt empire."

Corrupt? Tai couldn't believe the man had just said that, or that he hadn't heard father draw his katana and slice the man's head off just for the offense.

You simply didn't call the empire corrupt, you didn't call it unfair, or nasty or cruel, you didn't speak ill of the divine beings, the Emperor and his Shogun, who had crushed all opposition and ended a terrible war, and done away with the fiendish ninja.

Tai waited for his father to do something, but he didn't and the doctor continued speaking . . .

"You saw the lower city, it's a dump. The Land of Waves was on the upswing once Konoha and Kumo liberated--yes _liberated _it from our occupation forces, now they're a slum of a nation, their Daimyo spends all his time in his tower with his concubines, he ignores his people, in the old world he'd be . . . dealt with."

Tai shook his head, he couldn't believe that, a Daimyo, a being appointed by the divine Emperor himself, couldn't be corrupt.

They could be silly, or lazy, but never in a bad sense, maybe the doctor was just confused . . . no, no Daimyo could be corrupt.

"I can't help that. I know how bad it sounds but right now I have a comfortable life, my wife and son will never know hardship . . . you think I want my son to die in some meaningless war like all the boys I saw die under my command? I can't, he won't."

"I go through hardship every day knowing that my baby sister is walking on egg shells in the capital city!" Mother cried out suddenly, "Knowing that she's marrying a man who could get her killed just because of who he was during the war! At least I can write to Eri, at least I know how she's doing but what about Emiko, or Naomasa? Yoshi I won't let this stupid war of ideology rip my family apart, I'm the eldest sister, I have an obligation to look after _all _of my siblings!"

"That's a separate matter, when we get back I'll urge the Daimyo to offer your brother and sister pardons if they'll swear fealty--"

"No! No, no, no!" Mother screamed, "No swearing, no oaths, I won't have it, and I won't stand for it! The empire is corrupt, you said so yourself! You say you don't want a war, well I say another war would be a godsend, either let us fight and win back our beliefs or die and have done with the whole thing!"

"And what if it does happen?" Father demanded, "what if I die in war and your future becomes unstable? Worse still what if Taiki comes of age and fights this war, what if he dies fighting this war? What if the reinitiating of conflict sees your brother and sisters killed as well? You say you want a war? You realize someone's going to have to fight it and a lot of those who do will die."

"_I _would fight," mother said, calming down, "to protect my son and my siblings, _I _would fight and die if only I could see the face of our "beloved" Emperor all so I could spit in it."

Tai felt like he might be sick, his mother was speaking horrible, treasonous words . . . father would have to kill her for such words, Tai didn't even want to imagine that, but that was the penalty for speaking against the emperor so . . .

And the things she'd said, that couldn't be true.

She was mad, or else she was lying. She couldn't _believe _those things.

And she'd said father had said them too? A lie, it had to be.

Tai listened, waiting for his father to deny everything, verbally chastise mother and kill this evil doctor.

But father whispered "The Daimyo . . . has long been asking me . . . if I thought we could win another war."

Tai stared at the door in shock. The _Daimyo_ wanted war too?

"And what have you been telling him?" The doctor asked softly.

"What do you think? Of course not! They'll never take our islands, it would take a fleet larger than anything in history . . . but to wage war? It's true, the empire is corrupt, the lower city is a slum, I saw children no older than our own son starving and being treated like slaves, what could I do? I'm one man."

"_I'm_ one man." The doctor said calmly, "You're a Taisho, a general. Now I'm not asking you to change the world . . . I'm not asking you to go to war . . . but your name, your wealth and your power will keep the dock guards from asking you if they can tour your vessel for contraband . . . or stowaways. With a member of the Five in the area we have just three options, we can stay here until we're found, or we can try to fight and probably either die or win and cause suffering for the local people, or we can sneak out, get to our allies and safety.

"You have just three options too, Taisho. Help us then wash your hands of us, ignore us and leave us to rot assuming we don't just sneak aboard your vessel anyway . . . or help us, and . . . in exchange for passing some messages on for your wife, have you tell your Daimyo a few things for us."

"You mean for me to become a rebel." Father grunted.

Tai's entire world ground to a halt at those words . . . because his father didn't sound like he was rejecting that possibility, it sounded like he was . . . _considering _it.

Tai didn't know what came over him then, he was up and he ran.

With bare feet because his shoes hadn't been recovered yet he ran for the door and out into the yard . . . but that wasn't enough.

He ran for the Great Bridge, he ran for what his parents and the doctor had called the "lower city" it just couldn't be as bad as they said.

After all it was called the "new" city, it couldn't be a slum, it had to be the bustling place he imagined, where everybody was busy and happy, like the market places in story books where there were always so many colors and things to buy, like the markets back in the Land of Waters.

It just couldn't be a slum, it had to be a beautiful place, everything he heard couldn't be true, it had to be a lie . . .

He worried that he'd made too much noise and that his father would ride after him, still he ran as fast as his legs could carry him into the orange dusk.

* * *

She yawned, stretched, opened her eyes and saw the scroll sitting besides her.

No sign of her husband, no sign of their son. They were probably off doing some father son activity, she supposed it didn't matter.

She opened the scroll and almost squealed with delight.

Her next target . . . and he was in the Land of Waves, so her avatar wouldn't have to move very far.

She didn't even bother to get dressed, instead she slumped back into bed.

Far from an act of laziness however she instead slipped out of consciousness and drifted for a moment, waking in a dank, dark place where nobody ever went.

Her avatar struggled at first, but she asserted her dominance over the captive mind, let her own appearance replace that of the avatar's--after all the avatar was just a body to be used, that didn't mean the avatar's face needed to be the one her victims saw before they died.

She was in a dark, dire prison cell.

She rattled the bars, the guards came and gave her a careful look over.

Gone was the young soldier who'd once been in the cell, in her place was a beautiful younger woman with auburn hair and cold, gray almost milky white eyes.

"Back so soon, mistress?" One of her guards whispered, unlocking the cell.

"I'm on the hunt again." The young woman said easily, stretching with her new body, a cousin of mine has been hiding out here . . . I _must _pay him a visit, take in some of his hospitality and take _away _his life." She smiled playfully, "care to come along?"

The two guards shook their heads. They were well disciplined soldiers but they'd be useless in a ninja confrontation. she was as likely to accidentally kill them for getting in her way as her target was to try to do so deliberately.

She set off into the night, the location the scroll had told her of was already burned into her memory, she wouldn't get lost . . .

**To Be Continued . . .**


	3. Questions

**Part Three**

**Questions**

Tai reached the new city just before it got really dark.

The street lights were on so it wasn't like he was walking through pitch, still it was just dark enough for him to feel nervous.

Despite the darkness there were people everywhere, most of them seemed to be rushing off towards home or something, some went into a large building that had the word "bar" written on it, but Tai didn't know what that meant.

He looked for someone his own age, and he saw lots of kids.

It wasn't until he got close to one of them that he saw how raggedy they looked. The boy's clothes were ripped and torn and poorly patched, he was filthy, he smelled like manure and when he opened his mouth to say "What do you want?" in a terribly hostile tone, Tai could see his teeth were rotting.

Tai took a step back, nervous, "Nothing, never mind . . ." he said, and the boy, realizing that there was a distinct difference in the way they were dressed and no doubt understanding what that meant suddenly became a lot less hostile.

"You need anything, master?" The boy asked, and it was weird hearing him talk like that, he had to be a whole head taller than Tai . . . "Anything I can do for you? Maybe worth some coins?"

Tai didn't actually _have _any money with him, he wished he did, but he didn't. He shook his head, "N-nothing. No." He said.

The boy looked around just a little bit too much like how a Tai had seen schoolyard bullies look around to see where their closest friends were.

He took a step towards Tai, "Come on then, maybe some cash just for my troubles then?"

"I don't have any." Tai said nervously, all alone in this dark strange place.

The child used a profanity that roughly translated, referred to a male cow's droppings, Tai was shocked to hear the boy swear.

Children his age swore, but not so casually, and never without making sure an adult wasn't around first, this kid just let it slip out like it was some customary response.

Tai backed away slowly and right into someone else.

He turned and saw a girl, slightly smaller than the boy and she looked even worse.

Part of her dress's midriff was gone, it wasn't the fashion it was just torn away, and she'd actually lost an eye, Tai couldn't believe it, a child with a ruined eye? There was no patch, just a nasty scar over a ruined, blind left eye. She shoved him forward, back towards her male counterpart and said "What're you staring at? Think you're so pretty?"

Tai stammered, though both this girl and her friend were practically skin and bones there was no denying a very noticeable strength behind her shove, this girl hadn't eaten a decent meal for a while, but despite her frail form she was tough.

The boy, who grabbed Tai's shoulders firmly, was similarly strong, and he guided Tai off towards an alley.

And it wasn't so much that nobody saw it, lots of people saw it.

Nobody _cared_.

Nobody looked over, demanded to know what was going on, nobody said anything. The two kids simply dragged Tai off into a darkened alley and shoved him roughly into a pile of debris.

Trash and broken wood and tile had just been piled up outside the place labeled "bar" and it did nothing to cushion Tai's fall, in fact falling into it hurt more than falling onto the ground.

The boy and girl didn't actually talk, maybe they figured there was no point. They just grabbed Tai and started digging through his pockets, he struggled but to no avail, they were both stronger than him.

And yet another kid came over, this one kept glancing back and forth between the two digging through Tai's pockets, and the mouth of the alley.

"He's got nothing." The girl growled, "What you call me over for, he's got nothing! He's got nothing!" She said, repeating more to herself than to anyone else.

"How he dresses I thought for sure . . ." The first boy grumbled, he turned to Tai and said "No hard feelings okay, fatso?"

Tai scowled, he wasn't fat, he just wasn't skin and bones like this peasant boy.

The boy laughed at him and Tai couldn't help himself.

He kicked out and hooked his foot around the boy's ankle, drawing his leg back he tripped the other boy and the other two bullies laughed.

The boy rolled nimbly and came to his feet, he said "Stupid! We're even then, I pushed you, you tripped me, fair and square."

Tai scoffed and pulled himself off of the pile of debris, but the boy suddenly spun around and shoved him back, then raised his foot and stomped down, stomping Tai into the garbage pile.

The young Samurai felt something stab him in the left side, he screamed in pain and the street boy stomped again, the girl cackled and picked up a piece of wood.

She raised it up to hit Tai with it, but instead it was ripped from her hands, leaving a few slivers which she fell backwards crying about.

As for the street boy as he raised his leg to stomp on Tai again another leg came up, kicking his higher than he'd meant to raise it, he fell and landed hard on his back.

Tai saw his rescuer, she was a young woman, probably younger than mother, but maybe older than aunt Eri. She wore a battered peasant tunic covering her chest but covering her legs was a pair of battered, road worn pants, which women weren't allowed to wear, and her chest was far too prominent for Tai to believe that she was just a soft featured man.

So even though this woman had saved him, Tai's first reaction was that she dressed like a criminal and therefore must be a criminal.

The third boy took a few threatening steps towards the woman, but she just stood up straight and folded her arms.

"Honestly?" The woman snorted derisively, and the third boy wisely just turned around and ran away, his two friends followed.

The woman smirked and held a hand out towards Tai without even looking down at him, he didn't take it and got up on his own.

"Who're you?"

"That's a good question but I don't really want to ask it right now, "are you alright" is a better question so I'll ask that. You're bleeding you know." The woman said softly.

"I'll be fine, it's nothing," Tai scowled, "You do know that you can't wear those clothes, don't you? They're illegal!"

The woman turned to him and Tai could see now what her long ebony bangs had kept hidden before, "Why, what do they look like?" She asked as Tai looked at the strip of cloth wrapped around the woman's head like a blindfold.

Tai blinked, "You're . . . you're wearing pants, it's illegal for women to wear pants."

"I only wear the clothes people give me," She said, "for someone like me clothing doesn't really matter though."

Tai had to admit he felt a little silly scolding his rescuer for her clothing at all, but now that he knew she wasn't breaking the law deliberately he also felt like a total heel, he was yelling at some blind woman who'd just rescued him from . . . wait a minute, "How did you rescue me if you can't see?"

"Can't see? Well I can hear of course, and smell." She laughed and sat down on the ground across from Tai, and despite himself he found he sat down too.

"You smelled that I was bleeding then?" He asked, realizing he'd scraped his back, so it wasn't as if she could have seen that even if her eyes worked.

"Now you're getting it." The woman said.

"I'm Ito Taiki, who are you?" He asked again.

"I'm me." She said.

"I introduced myself, the least you can give me is a name."

The woman smiled, "I'm _me_," she said firmly.

"That's your name?" Tai asked.

"Sure, why not?" She shrugged and Tai wasn't sure if she were being evasive or asking why "Mi" wouldn't be a good name.

Mi had long black hair, it was tangled and disheveled, she also had three long blue feathers in her hair near her right ear, but beyond that her clothes were mostly black or had been black at some point and were now road worn and filthy making them more of a dark gray.

Tai said "Thanks for rescuing me, I guess. But I could have taken them. Why did you help me?"

"You remind me of someone I used to know," Mi said, "I thought maybe I had better do something to help you out."

Tai frowned, "My mom always says I remind her of someone, she never tells me who, I guess I've got one of those faces." He didn't know what that meant but he'd heard his dad say it about some people.

"Yes, your appearance, that _must _be what sparks my memory." Mi said, Tai realized that she couldn't _see _him so he might have offended her, but she didn't sound angry, she sounded amused.

He smiled weakly, he decided maybe he could just ask Mi how life was. He said "How old are you?"

"I'm not sure. I feel ancient." Mi whispered, "sometimes I'm just so tired I feel like an old granny."

Tai smiled, "You don't look like one. My father's mother is fat and wrinkly and stinky. You're not fat, or wrinkly."

"I'm stinky?" Mi sounded surprised.

"I'm sitting next to a pile of garbage, I can't smell anything." Tai admitted. Then after a moment of silence he frowned, how could Mi smell his blood over the garbage?

He decided not to ask her, if there were some simple answer he didn't want to look or sound stupid.

He said "Do you have a husband?"

Mi shook her head slowly, "No, no husband."

"Do you work then?" Tai asked.

"Not officially, no." Mi answered. "Unless you consider "staying alive" a career I'm unemployed."

Tai frowned, "but you don't have to be. You know--well maybe you don't--but pure women are always allowed to work in the Serpent Shrines, aren't you pure?"

Mi seemed surprised, "Don't you know what it means to be 'pure?"

"To have a heart untouched by greed or evil, to believe wholeheartedly in the emperor's--"

"Wrong, wrong, wrong." Mi said, shaking her head, "Purity, as far as the serpent shrines are concerned, is absolute physical perfection, and having never known . . . um, married life. You must be beautiful and utterly flawless so that your beauty attracts others to worship. Any weakness or flaw is unacceptable. As you can see," Mi smiled, "I'm not flawless and I wouldn't want to attract others to worship false idols anyway."

Tai frowned, "So you don't think life is better under Imperial rule? You don't think its good that there are no more wars? That the Emperor descended from heaven to guide us all to the path of peace?"

"The path of peace?" Mi laughed, "Kid you just had a fight, you call that peace? You call the burning of entire villages peace? You call the murder of an entire family peace? The emperor isn't a being from heaven, he's a human being like you or me. He plotted and planned and schemed then got to power by fighting or at least forcing others to fight a major war, the war that left the common people too afraid to fight again."

Tai scowled, he hated hearing so many people tell him the Emperor was evil, he'd spent his whole life hearing the emperor's praises, why would everyone be so two-faced? And why was he only noticing it now?

"You disagree." Mi said flatly, "Maybe life's been easier on you than it has on me. You haven't seen your home city "cleansed" and you haven't seen the armies coming for you knowing they won't spare you. You haven't had to struggle to keep from being noticed by those who'd harm you just because of what you believe."

Tai frowned, "You pity yourself then." He said simply, "You must have been a civilian of Konoha, most of them couldn't cope with the empire, but it's really--"

Mi shook her head, her expression darkened, "You scare me, Ito. You scare me a lot." The words shocked Tai, he'd never had an adult tell him they were afraid of him.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Tai asked.

"Not afraid of you, just scared by you and your words." Mi explained, "If I heard my daughter spouting the nonsense you are I'd give up on life itself, what hope is there if the next generation is blinded?"

Tai frowned, "You have a daughter?" He asked. "You said you weren't married."

Mi shrugged, "You don't have to be married to have children, Tai, but I'll let your mother explain that to you when you're older."

Tai folded his arms, "Today . . . tonight . . . well, maybe an hour ago I heard my dad talking . . . everything I thought I knew about the empire . . . you're from Konoha, aren't you? That's why you hate the empire."

"Did I say I hated it?" Mi asked.

"You sound like you do." Tai shrugged.

Mi smiled slightly, "I don't hate the Empire. I hate the emperor. I love the idea of the empire, the idea of humanity united in harmony . . . but that's not what the Empire is. It's encouraged xenophobia and racism, sexism, a caste system that places women regardless of their caste, beneath men regardless of their cast, people are forced to worship the five snake gods, and worship the emperor as if he were a god, and what scares me the most is that everyone knows it's a lie, almost everyone in this city at least hates it . . . and no one says so. No one dares. You yourself, asking me these questions, it's only out of the most supreme ignorance. If I were one of the Emperor's ninja you'd be dragged off for questioning, I'd find out who your father and mother were and I'd execute you and enslave them."

Tai shook his head, "No way. For starters the Emperor doesn't _use _ninja, they're evil--"

"Wrong on both counts." Mi interrupted but Tai went on.

"Second, my father and mother are patriots, I know they are, they'd never do anything to deserve being slaves, third I'm a patriot, I just . . . I just wanted to see if you were."

"You don't have to lie to me, Ito . . . I am not one of the Emperor's ninja." Mi said softly, "Your parents _are _patriots . . . patriots of the country they truly belong to, not of this Empire. You're only a child Tai, but you sound like an educated one . . . I think the real reason you're speaking to me now is that you know I have the answers you're looking for. You just don't know how to ask me the questions you want answered."

Tai frowned. He thought for a moment, then said "Will you tell me the truth?"

"Do I have any reason to lie?" Mi asked.

"Will you tell me the truth?" Tai repeated.

Mi smiled, and nodded "Yes. I will tell you the truth."

Tai nodded too and whispered "Are the serpent shrines real? Do the snake gods really watch over us?"

"Yes and no, Tai. The shrines are . . . headquarters. They're a place where servants of the Emperor keep prisoners and test subjects, a place where members of the Emperor's secret police can gather to attack those they deem as traitors or terrorists, and each of the five so-called gods is merely a mortal man or woman, they're called The Five."

Tai frowned, "The five . . . I've heard that before."

Mi nodded, "Then your parents must be true patriots to dare say the name. They must also have access to knowledge most people don't. People pray at the serpent shrines and their prayers are heard by the Emperor's agents, when they confess their sins to the Serpent Gods the agents hear their sins, when they make requests the agents hear those requests and if they feel compelled to do so, or if the Emperor orders it, a member of the Five will go to that shrine and punish the worshiper, or smite someone on their behalf."

Tai frowned and he asked "How long did Konoha last before it fell?"

"It depends on how you look at it." Mi said flatly. "On the fourth day of the battle for Konoha the city was abandoned after three days of almost continuous fighting . . . but the people never fell. They paid a price in lives that gives me chills even to this day . . . but many got away, many of Konoha's ninja escaped to lick their wounds and plan their revenge. The ninja of some lands will soon rise up in rebellion and those former Konoha ninja are going to stand with them . . . with luck your own country of Water will also fight."

Tai felt a strange fear crawl through him, "There's going to be another war?" He whispered, "When?"

"Soon." Mi whispered, "Very soon."

Tai felt cold, he was scared, Mi didn't sound like she was lying but he wanted to believe she was.

"Will my . . . will my father have to fight?" Tai asked.

Mi smiled slightly, "If he's a good man he'll _want _to. But this war won't be about big armies and grand standing Daimyo . . . this war will be . . . quieter. Isn't that right . . . Hyuuga?"

A woman emerged from the shadows, she was slender and beautiful, she wore a fishnet body suit and a pair of tight shorts, she had several pouches and packs strapped to her legs and she wore no shirt or gown, instead she wore a thick vest, a flak jacket that covered her breasts but unzipped showed Tai more cleavage than he'd ever seen before in his life and, honestly he wasn't sure how he felt about that. His mind screamed that it was indecent, but he was also curious . . . how did she keep her breasts from revealing themselves? Some sort of glue, or simple luck?

"I don't suppose you'll cover up, hmm? I don't think this young man needs to see what's under that flack jacket." Mi said, looking totally relaxed. Tai wondered how she'd seen the woman's chest, wasn't Mi blind? Even if she wasn't how did she see through the thick cloth wrapped around her eyes?

The woman laughed softly, "You don't like? It's similar to the getup I wore as a kid, it helps my cousins to recognize me when I hunt them down, and it's so much . . . freer than my usual uniform and robes. Besides, what does the boy matter? Do you think he'll see the next sunrise? He's a witness to your murder, and we can't have that."

**To Be Continued . . .**


	4. Saeki

**Part Four**

**Saeki**

"My murder?" Mi asked.

"Unless you plan to come quietly. I'll admit I'm in a humoring mood, you're not the person I came here for. I'd settle for your incarceration."

Tai frowned, looking at Mi . . . what was happening?

Mi stood up straight and swept her arm out, moving Tai behind her, "I have no intention of surrendering . . . I was hoping I could get your attention."

The woman called Hyuuga folded her arms, "Come on now, tell me your name . . . that's how duels work. For example . . . I'm Akuma . . . it means "demon."

Mi smirked, "That's not your real name."

"Does it matter?" Akuma asked.

Mi shrugged, "I know who you really are . . . Hyuuga Shiroi. Your master is ashamed."

Shiroi's empty white eyes blazed, "You can't speak for my master, you don't know my master!" She laughed then and calmed down and for some reason seeing her calm was even scarier than seeing her angry, "I guess you said that just to force me to take you in alive . . . no such luck though, see we can pull from your brain all the knowledge you have long after you're dead, and while I'll take a surrendered ninja in alive, I won't spare you once we start to fight."

"Hmm. Guess I'll just have to kill you." Mi said.

"What. Is. Your. Name?" Shiroi demanded, speaking very slowly and deliberately.

Mi slowly moved a hand to her blindfold and slid two delicate looking fingers into the fabric and pulled it away from her face, throwing her head back to sweep her long blue bangs from her eyes.

"Call me Saeki. As for the meaning . . . well it might as well mean "vengeance" to you."

Shiroi tilted her head to the side, "Oh really? Well Saeki, for what do you claim vengeance?"

Mi--or rather Saeki folded her arms, "Murdered parents, a murdered clan, a home burned, a life stolen."

Tai felt like maybe he should be running away but Saeki didn't let him, she kept him close, she whispered "Stay with me, it'll be easier to protect you that way. Now that she's seen you we can't let her get away, it could endanger your parents."

Shiroi snorted derisively, "Yes, because you're such a badass you can take me even with the kid behind your back."

Saeki smiled at Tai, and Tai saw her eyes . . .

Her red irises expanded to cover her entire eye, her black pupils swirled outward like sickening swirling whirlpools, she said, as she turned to face Shiroi, "Only one way to know."

Shiroi smiled, "Nice trick . . . let me show you mine. Byakugan!" and thick veins appeared near her eyes, she lunged forward, striking out towards Saeki who dodged and weaved easily, while moving Taiki whenever necessary.

The two women moved fast, and they were only getting started, they actually began to speed up so that Tai had trouble recognizing any sort of fighting style.

Mi--er Saeki dodged and Shiroi struck, Shiroi punched and kicked, her hands glowed with light blue energy, or chakra, which Tai's father had explained to him but he'd never seen it channeled through hands before, only special katanas.

Saeki was fast, but suddenly, without warning Shiroi swept her leg around in a roundhouse kick, and the blue chakra came from her foot too and swept out like a wave of blue flame, engulfing Saeki who spun around and covered Tai with her body.

There was smoke, Tai coughed.

He waved his hands, he couldn't feel Saeki's hands on him, he just felt smoke.

He waved the smoke from his face and saw Shiroi was smirking, "Shadow clone eh? But how does that help the kid?" Shiroi sprang forward, reaching out for Tai.

Then there was blast, the blindfold Saeki had discarded suddenly exploded outward, it _became _Saeki, standing behind Shiroi, blade in hand.

She threw the kunai knife at Shiroi who somehow twisted and dodged as if she'd seen it coming even though it was aimed at her back.

The dagger passed over Tai's head, he saw when it suddenly exploded too.

_It _became Saeki as well, both the Saeki behind Shiroi and the Saiki in over Tai's head held their hands to their mouths and inhaled sharply, still in the air Saeki swept her leg down, hitting Tai's shoulder and knocking him out of the way when both Saeki and Saeki blew forth powerful blasts of fire.

Shiroi raised her arms to cover her face and screamed as the flames engulfed her.

She screamed like a banshee as the flames engulfed her, then Tai noticed something about the screams.

They weren't stopping.

The flames suddenly disappeared, blown outwards from Shiroi, Tai felt a warm wind wash over him, Shiroi was smiling and screaming . . . sarcastically.

"Ahh, ooh, ahh!" Shiroi cried in mock pain, she laughed, "What was that? That weak stuff won't work on me, get real! Effective use of clones and fire Ninjutsu, but come on . . . I'm Akuma, I'm like a demon, you need more to kill me."

Tai became suddenly aware of the people around them.

Or rather the soon to be lack thereof, the fires had scared everyone off, those who'd been attracted by the fighting were running away now.

Shiroi laughed, "That was just for show, right? I mean you can do better, can't you?"

"Watch me." Saeki smirked. The Saeki behind Shiroi disappeared in a puff of smoke and the one in front of Tai inhaled sharply again, she breathed again, this time the flame took shape, becoming some strange sort of . . . horse?

The flames became a horse, it charged towards Shiroi and literally ran circles around her, when she tried to advance towards Saeki and Tai the horse would charge towards her, she couldn't attack it because it was flame.

She folded her arms and shook her head, "Seriously. Got anything else? Because this is boring."

Saeki fell backwards into a ready crouch, sort of like father when he showed Tai swordplay.

She held her hands out to the side, moving both rapidly, she spoke but it was gibberish, it almost sounded like she were speaking two different languages . . . or speaking with two voices at once.

The air in one hand suddenly caught flame, that flame became a sphere in the palm of her hand, a sphere of fire.

Shiroi laughed, "Oh my, well that's a pretty familiar Jutsu."

"Here's another," Saeki hissed, and then her other hand came suddenly cackled with electricity.

"Chidori?" Shiroi demanded, staggering back, "No!"

"Your master . . . is ashamed." Saeki reminded Shiroi, then she sprang.

Tai held his breath as Saeki's fist shot through Shiroi's stomach, Shiroi became a puff of smoke and a stone statue, but the lightning covered hand of Saeki cut the stone to rubble, Saeki spun around and thrust her hand out towards Tai.

The sphere in her hand shot towards Tai, he screamed in fear and fell back.

As he did he saw Shiroi had been standing behind him, she reached for him but the sphere of flame burned into her forehead.

She didn't even get to scream, her eyes began to smoke, then her head began to disappear, it was burning up from the inside out.

Tai screamed in terror as Shiroi's entire frame was burned alive from the inside out, even closing his eyes he could still feel the heat and smell the burning flesh.

Saeki pulled him to his feet, she said "Don't worry . . . you're not going to remember that tomorrow."

Tai didn't answer her, he just kept screaming.

She placed her hands on his face and forced him to look into her eyes, her red swirling eyes, "You're not going to remember it." She repeated, and Tai's screams slowed.

Gradually . . . after a while . . . he didn't know what she was talking about.

What wasn't he going to remember?

* * *

Shiroi's eyes snapped open, she lay in the fourth channeling cell.

The servants must have moved her from her bedroom . . . that wasn't unusual.

She looked around . . . Kurai . . . Kasumi . . . both of them were in the second and fifth cells, they were projecting.

Shiroi got out of her cell, she wore the lavender robes of the Kamikage's servants, she rushed out of the room.

She had to find her master.

She ran down the halls, she ignored every guard and they all knew better than to get in her way.

One that didn't, or rather didn't do so fast enough had his head snapped around and broken, she threw him into the doors of the throne room and strolled through.

The throne where the Emperor sat was empty . . . but to the side of the room, behind the veil where the Kamikage sat . . .

Shiroi threw herself to the ground, prostrating herself before her master, Lord Orochimaru.

"My host was destroyed, my killer spoke of my old master, and used the Chidori."

Orochimaru laughed softly, "So . . . Sasuke-kun couldn't stay hidden forever. Well then Okatsu . . . tell the first and third to reinforce the second and fifth, bring them back . . . all five will begin the hunt as soon as possible . . . I _will _have that Sharingan."

Shiroi felt a tremor run through her, the full force of the Sound Five had never been mobilized after a single target before.

And she wasn't sure it was necessary, she'd trained under Sasuke-sensei for years . . . but she was certain that she was stronger than him now.

But she didn't question her master's judgment.

"Will he be there when we rally them?" Shiroi whispered.

"My dear girl, by making himself known to you Sasuke-kun called you out, he called _me _out. Wherever he is you and the others must find him and bring him to me so that I may possess his body."

"What of the First?" Shiroi asked.

Orochimaru was silent for a moment, Okatsu put a hand roughly on Shiroi's shoulder, "Yours is not to question, but to do. Move."

Shiroi shoved Okatsu's hand away, the older woman was no longer the stronger, she and the others had completed their training under Okatsu they were now strong enough to kill Okatsu, only Lord Orochimaru's orders kept them from doing exactly that.

"You are dismissed, Fourth, your time is your own until I send for you." Orochimaru said evenly.

Shiroi bowed low, "My thanks master." She said, and she turned away, and moved quickly through the halls, reaching the wing of the palace where she and her husband resided.

She stepped through the door, there were no servants in this wing, mostly the Sound Five didn't have servants as a way of preventing them from growing weak or lazy they were never able to call upon others to do menial labor for them.

But Shiroi did have one servant, an old, almost ancient woman whose name had long since been forgotten.

The nursemaid bowed low when Shiroi entered and without a word left the chamber as soon as Shiroi was inside.

Shiroi smiled when she saw her son sitting in the center of her apartment's sitting room, he was playing with some building sticks, a small swarm of insects moved over the sticks and together the child and the bugs were building a complex looking group of structures, sort of like three towers all connected to each other at various points.

Shiroi wasn't sure why or what the tower was meant to resemble, maybe the boy would be an architect someday. She'd never liked blocks or building sticks.

She smiled and the boy looked up and noticed her with his white Hyuuga eyes, her eyes.

He smiled and moved his hands to present his creation to her, "See?" The three year old child asked..

Shiroi smiled and nodded, "It's beautiful."

He frowned and she laughed, "Okay, it's very handsome? Impressive?"

He giggled and Shiroi sighed.

It bothered her just a bit that only a night before she'd slaughtered children at or around her own son's age.

She'd done it for the sake of peace . . . because it was her duty, because whatever Lord Orochimaru asked she would gladly do . . .

But what if it had been _her _child? What if Lord Orochimaru asked her to do the unthinkable? Could she do that?

_Don't worry about that now_. She thought. She sat down next to her son and watched him build.

_Because of the sacrifices your father and I are making when you come of age you will be able to be an architect or a soldier or whatever because Lord Orochimaru will rule a perfect and peaceful world. Once we stop Naruto and Sasuke . . . once the last of the rogue ninja are wiped out. Then you can be an architect and rebuild the world._

Shiroi smiled. Putting things together wasn't her idea of fun . . . but she liked the idea of her son's generation building the world up instead of tearing it down as hers was doing.

Not that she had any regrets about her actions. Because of them her son was free, he didn't possess the Hyuuga clan's branch family seal on his brow, he would never be a slave of the now nearly extinct main family. Because of her actions though the world was being systematically destroyed it was also being systematically rebuilt.

And when it was finished it would be perfect, the image that Lord Orochimaru desired all the long.

Pity Sasuke-sensei for not understanding that. Pity Naruto for standing in the way of that.

And pity ninja like Saeki, for not supporting it, a Shinobi who could master both Incineration Palm and Lightning Blade and use them simultaneously would have been a fine Sound Ninja.

Shiroi smiled contentedly. Her life was good . . . and the lives of her enemies would soon enough come to an end.

"It's a very beautiful building, Saizo," She told her son, he just sighed in exasperation, "Build one just like it when you grow up." She smiled.

* * *

It was near dawn when Tai woke up in his own bed, or at least the bed of his vacation home.

He came out of the room to hear some light chatter and even some laughter from father.

He tiptoed and peeked into the sitting room but the doctor spotted him and smiled, "Come here, Taiki, you're about to meet a legend."

Tai walked into the sitting room, there was the doctor, father, mother and Saeki, but there was also a man dressed in a black robe, it had a hood which was drawn back, the man had swept back black hair, sort of spiky, he wore a headband with a metal plate and a strange leaf symbol Tai had never seen before.

He was a little pale, he raised his gaze to Tai and said "I am Uchiha Sasuke, of the village hidden in leaves."

Tai smiled weakly, "I learned about you in school. It's said you fought the emperor and you're an evil being who turns into a demon and that if we look into your eyes we'll lose our souls."

Sasuke smirked slightly, "The first part's true . . . and the rest is in the eye of the beholder."

Saeki said "We all fought the emperor, and we will continue to do so."

Tai nodded and sat down, "So what happens now? Just by knowing you people we're . . . traitors."

"You're going to go with us to a place where that's not true." Sasuke said evenly, "You're taking us to the Village Exiled to Shadows, the last bastion of hope for many ninja formerly of the leaf village. You'll meet some interesting people there Taiki, you'll meet many, many heroes."

"And someday," The doctor said, "you just might be one yourself."

Tai frowned, "Me? A hero?"

"Who can say?" The doctor shrugged. "Anyway we've never been properly introduced . . . my name is Hayato. Endo Hayato. I was a medic during the war. This is Hijiri Hitomi, Uchiha's current . . . what's the word for it? Student? Apprentice?"

"Subordinate is more appropriate," Uchiha said calmly, "She was Naruto's student."

Hitomi shrugged, Tai frowned, "You have a lot of names."

Hitomi smirked, "Ninja don't give their true names in the field, not unless they're recognized . . . or grandstanding."

Tai noticed now that mother was holding a baby, the child had short black hair, longer than the hair on most babies but still very short. The child's pale skin seemed even whiter compared to their black hair, and the ashen gray cloth wrapped around them.

Tai raised an eyebrow at the small child, "Who's that?"

"My daughter." Hitomi said simply.

"_Your _daughter?" Endo rolled his eyes.

"For better or worse." Hitomi said simply. "_Her _name is Saeki."

The gears in Tai's head worked and moved, he said "So you were taking revenge for her last night."

"You remember that?" Hitomi smiled slightly.

"You're getting sloppy." Endo laughed.

Uchiha gave her a hard glare, but mother said "He's very resistant to persuasion."

Hitomi nodded, "Well in any case yes, when I'm in the field Saeki is my handle. It reminds me that I have a good reason to come back, and why the Empire has to be stopped. I swore to her in the ruins of her burning village that I'd not only take the revenge she deserved, but I'd make sure those who wronged her knew her name before they paid the price for their sins." Hitomi said, watching the infant girl Tai's mother held.

"Yes . . . it wasn't at all overdramatic." Endo smirked, Hitomi hit him in the shoulder.

Tai smiled slightly, "So . . . what happens now?" He asked.

"Now . . ." Father said softly, "We'll leave this place, claim we were made uncomfortable by the ninja activity. Us, a doctor, an infant . . . and ten fugitive ninja."

"Well," Uchiha said softly, "While Hijiri was distracting Shiroi I made contact with a very important someone, Shiroi's actual target. I don't suspect she knew who it was or she would never have been distracted by the likes of Hitomi here. Anyway if you don't mind Taisho, I think it'll be eleven fugitive ninja."

Father nodded slightly, "Very well then. Eleven fugitives. Then you and your mother will disembark along with our passengers, whilst Uchiha and I see the Daimyo and the Mizukage about . . . going to war against the entire world."

Nobody smiled or cheered at that, they just looked solemn.

Tai understood these were real soldiers, not the romanticized warriors of the stories he read, they weren't going to fight this war just because they could, or for entertainment, they weren't setting out to be recorded in historical texts or to have their names dramatized in fiction.

They were preparing to fight a war because they saw no other option, they understood the threat the Empire posed to their ideals and beliefs and like mother had said they were ready to die and have done with it before they ever surrendered.

With the exception of father and technically mother not one of them were Samurai . . . they were ninja and rogues, the people his historical and fictional texts described as cowards and mercenaries, the people whom he'd grown up hating like every other kid his age did.

He watched them . . . he knew he wasn't a kid anymore . . . his eyes had been opened.

Before long he, his parents, and a boatload of fugitives were sailing for the island chain that made up the land portion of he Lands of Water, and one island in particular that hid the Ninja Village Exiled to Shadows . . .

**The End**

**Final Word: **I hope you've enjoyed this, if you haven't and you're reading this note then you're a real trooper and I commend you but I won't give back the time of your life spent reading. Hope those who did like this, or else liked New Blood and not this, or else liked this and not New Blood, will catch the sequel, Old Souls.

Also the name/word/whatever "Saeki" does _not_ mean "vengeance/revenge/whatever" according to my sister it actually means "Different/Unusual Destiny" or something similar, which is kind of cool but it's an extremely rough translation, one that I have, in fact, been unable to verify anywhere leaving it rather suspect. Not that I doubt my sister . . . just her translation skills. However the story and the character retain the name anyway.

Nevertheless the last thing I need is the headache caused by someone not realizing Hitomi wasn't being literal. Her statement of "Saeki" meaning "vengeance" is in regards to her oath to take revenge on the child's behalf, thus to Sound ninja Hitomi means for Saeki's name to become synonymous with "vengeance" it is not the actual meaning of the name, just in case that wasn't made clear in the story itself.


End file.
